Celebrating Drexel Alumnae Shaping the Music Industry
Double Platinum spotlights and celebrates women graduates from Drexel University who are working in transforming the music industry.
All the interviews in this inaugural edition of DoublePlatinumwere conducted by a group of incredible students in Drexel University’s Music Industry Program as part of a course called Women in the Music Industry. The course encourages students to reflect on the significance of equity and representation in today’s music industry landscape through examining the experiences, challenges, and accomplishments of women-identifying businesspeople and creatives.
The individuals showcased in this zine have shared their inspiring stories, sage advice, and meaningful perspectives. As a Drexel graduate myself, reading these interviews fills me with immense pride for my fellow Dragons. As alumnae, we have overcome countless obstacles, celebrated triumphs, and forged a path for future generations who will continue to create a more inclusive and vibrant music industry.
Volume 1 of Double Platinumsets the stage for an ongoing series that will shine a spotlight on inspiring Drexel alumnae. From recent graduates embarking on their professional journeys to seasoned professionals who have made significant contributions, this zine will continue to showcase the stories, accomplishments, and wisdom of women in the music industry. By doing so, Double Platinum aims to inspire current students, future students, and all individuals who aspire to pursue their passion and build music industry careers.
Together, we celebrate the resilience and perseverance of women, as well as individuals who are actively shaping a better future for all within the music industry.
Monika Julien Drexel University | Music Industry Program Assistant Teaching Professor & Class of 2012
Q: You’ve had similar responsibilities at World Cafe Live and Live Nation. How would you compare and contrast your experiences at both of them?
I wouldn’t say that I liked or disliked one more than the other because they were so different from each other. But there are definite differences. At the end of the day Philly is Philly. It’s definitely a unique market in that there are so many venues, so that is something I would say was probably a similarity. It was just the challenge of making sure you’re getting the good shows, the best shows that were the most appropriate fit for your room because there’s so much competition. The Philly World Cafe Live venue has two stages, upstairs and downstairs. When World Cafe Live was booking The Queen in Wilmington, same situation: upstairs, downstairs. But then for Live Nation, they have The Fillmore, The Foundry, TLA, Brooklyn Bowl all under their wings. So there is an expectation to cover as many shows of those as possible. So sometimes that meant going to three or four shows a night, which sounds crazy, but it’s true. And that expectation when I was at World Cafe Live would have only meant having to go from Philly to Wilmington and back.
Christianna LaBuz Class of 2008, Music Industry Senior Manager of Talent Acquisition and Logistics, StarVista Live — Philadelphia, PA Interview By Abe Diesenhof, Class of ‘24 + Teagan Sanda, Class of ‘24
Also, networking and putting in the face time. If there was an agent or a manager at the show, you have to be there. You can’t book a show that the manager and agent are at and not be there. That’s poor form. If they’re in town for the day, take them out to lunch, dinner, schmooze — not just for the sake of schmoozing, but to get to know them better as a person — so that the next time that act comes around the market, as long as you did well by them and if the ticket sales were strong, the next time around they might want to bump up to the next size venue. And if you bonded with them the last time and they view you as a human being now, then there’s a better chance of them coming back to you and being loyal to you as the promoter than if you don’t go to the show at all and you’re just texting and saying like, “Hope it went well.” That’s not cool.
Q: Has being a woman ever resulted in any difficulties navigating the live industry?
Absolutely. When I was at Fleming, at one point I shortened my name from Christianna to Chris and instantly saw a difference in how I was treated, in response time, in strength of offers. Of course, once I got on the phone with those people, they figured it out, but in a lot of cases, e-mail is the first way that you’re communicating with people. So, they already had this mental kind of vision in their head of who I was. And then by the time we got on the phone, we had already established a relationship. After a while I stopped doing that because I was just like, “This is dumb, like I need to build my own relationships based on my own merit,” but that definitely was real.
Now at this point in my career, I’ve kind of tried to not think about it so much and just approach relationships based on who I am as a human being and kind of go in with the knowledge base that I have to prove to people that I know what I’m talking about, regardless of what you see or what you hear or what your preconceived notions might be about me. I can’t tell you how many times when I worked at World Cafe Live and City Winery when I would meet people and I would say, “Yeah, I actually work here,” and they say, “Oh, cool, like are you a server? Are you a bartender?” And admittedly, that might have had more to do with my age, I think I look a little younger than I am, but that’s ageism, which is very real too. It’s definitely an obstacle because you have to say, “No, actually I’m a manager, I’m the talent buyer, I booked the show that you’re at, you just bought tickets to,” in a nice way. Just don’t be a jerk to anybody. It’s nice to be important, but it’s important to be nice.
In terms of advice to combat it, just try to not really lean into it. Just try and approach things like, “This is who I am. This is what I have to offer. Take it or leave it. If you don’t want to work with me for reasons that have to do with my gender or my age, that’s your problem. It’s not my problem, that’s your problem.” It is very real. Fortunately, I think that it’s getting a lot better.
Right now at StarVista, our staff is 80% female. And then at the Fillmore, their managerial staff are mostly female too. Live Nation has gone above and beyond to try and make sure that women feel comfortable in the workplace. That doesn’t mean it’s perfect, stuff still happens all the time. But Live
Nation Women, for example, have done a good job of making sure that, female mentors are available for other females, and that’s up to you to either utilize those resources or not. I think that a lot more women are being afforded opportunities now than they have in the past, but at the same time, I still think we have a long way to go, but we’re definitely heading in the right direction, absolutely.
Q: What advice do you have for students pursuing a career in booking/talent buying?
Networking is key, I can’t stress that enough. That’s not just being on the phone, it’s going to shows and talking to people. Going to shows and standing in the corner and looking at your phone the whole time doesn’t count. There’s a lot more that happens on social media, but that doesn’t replace going to as many conferences as possible and volunteering so that you don’t have to pay for it.
That’s something I did a lot while I was a student at Drexel. There was one for Billboard that I got a free badge for through volunteering. They paid for my airfare, but then I shared a hotel room with like three other Drexel students or stayed with a friend. For each of the conferences that I volunteered at, I requested to work the check-in desk so that I could put faces to names and could spend the rest of the time whenever I wasn’t working or volunteering knowing who’s who. Being at the check-in desk allowed me to say, “Oh, you’re Frank Riley from High Road Touring. I know what you look like now. I’m Christianna. Nice to meet you.” Then I was able to identify people without necessarily having to see their badges, and they’ve now seen and registered my face so later in the conference I can approach them and say, “Hello, can I talk to you for a few minutes?” and it’s not the first time that they’re interacting with me. They might not remember that they saw me at the check-in desk, but there’s something in there where they’re like, “Why do I know you? Oh yeah, you were helping me earlier.” If you can’t work the check-in desk, that’s fine. Just getting in is huge. But then again, once you’re there, talking to as many people as possible is key, as is building your network of contacts.
Class of 2020, Music Industry Regional Marketing Manager, Live Nation — NYC
Interview By
Jade Winn-McNeil, Class of ‘23 + Maddie Keane, Class of ‘25
Q: Can you explain your job search process after graduating, and can you offer any advice?
I graduated during COVID so I searched for jobs in and out of the industry for months. After interning for Live Nation for 2 years, myself and everyone I knew was laid off. I ended up taking a job at an ad agency for a few months. My prior manager then reached out in June 2021 offering me one of the first positions back as coordinator in the Philly office. Eventually I transferred to NYC and was promoted to manager this past December. My advice would be to make the most out of your time now. Network, take internships, talk to people at all different levels. Even if it seems like they’re too many steps above, people are usually able and willing to chat. These connections will make an impression and go a long way.
Q: What drew you to the marketing field in the music industry?
At first, I thought I wanted to go into event production, but most of the internships available were in marketing. I started at a digital marketing agency, but it was heavily social media-based which I didn’t really like. Then, I landed a job at Live Nation, which was a dream company, as a marketing assistant. The role was more paid advertising focused, and through that I realized I liked that side of marketing so I decided to pursue it. The growth opportunities are also faster in marketing as opposed to talent!
Q: What are some mistakes that you made early in your career, and could you give some advice on how to avoid those issues?
I would say that I wasn’t as confident in where I was when I was an intern, and I didn’t feel like I had the ability or the right to have conversations with higher up people or full-time employees. And I think I was told at first, early on in my internship, that I came across as standoffish. Meanwhile, all I wanted to do was make relationships and connections with these people. ‘Why would they want to talk to me? I’m just the intern.’ And now, I’m friends with some of these people! Joe, he’s a vice president of partnerships and he’s amazing, he said to me in my first internship, “Do you not like me?” “What do you mean, of course I like you!” He said, “You never say hi to me.” “Oh, I know. I’m just really nervous.” So I would say always be confident in yourself and know you’re there for a reason, even if you’re an intern. These people want to encourage and uplift you and teach you what they know. And honestly, people like talking about themselves, so just go up to somebody in a coordinator or manager or director position and say, “Hey, can I take 5 minutes of your time? I want to talk to you about where you’re at, your career.” They want to talk about themselves and it makes them feel good and it makes you feel good. And ask for work too! Constantly put it out there, like a, “Hey, what can I do to help?” or “I’m really interested in this?” or even “Can I do this?” They’re going to say yes.
Q: What has your experience been as a woman in the music industry, starting from your Drexel education to the present?
I would say Drexel was great! I never felt like there was any “boy vs. girl” mentality. We had a good amount of girls in our program, and the teachers were all inspiring and uplifting. So when it comes to Drexel, I really felt like an equal. In my internships, it was the same way. At Coda, my boss was a woman. At Fame House, my boss was a man, but he was great, and a lot of women worked in the office because it was marketing and that field tends to be female forward. Live Nation was interesting because my directors were all women, so I worked underneath three women and most of my division were women. Their boss, though, was a man; he had these two other men who worked in digital marketing, and at times it did kind of feel like a “boys club”. They were working on cool, fun stuff, and if you tried to get involved with that as a woman, they just weren’t interested. That would probably be my only negative experience, I guess; I wasn’t negatively impacted by it as much, it was just something I noticed.
Another thing I’ve noticed at the company is that there are a lot of women in leadership positions, especially in marketing. It’s so great to see, but it seems like all of the people at the very, very top still tend to be men. While we’re getting there, there is still a ways to go, but it’s definitely better than what it was.
Ben Jennings, Class of ‘24 + Lukas Da Silva, Class of ‘23
Q: What impact did Drexel have on your pursuit of a music industry career?
The immediate impact was having access to professors from across all facets in the industry. I was exposed to labels, publishers, magazines, and so much more. Sometimes you would go in thinking you want to do one thing, and through conversations with professors you come to discover there are all different ways you can be involved in the industry — more than what you would initially expect to be. Being able to have conversations with professors about how the industry is changing was so important. Discussing trends and making career choices based on what’s actively happening in the industry was a huge immediate impact.
I still interact with my fellow students and professors to this day. I also still interact with people I met while on internship. Just the opportunity to network and be exposed to so many different people has helped me in the long run. Working during school also had an impact. My first job was working as a waitress at the Electric Factory, and I got to meet so many people that were also going to Drexel. We had different aspirations, but we were all supportive while coming up together. The communal aspect of the Music Industry Program has led to lifelong relationships in and out of the work environment.
Q: How has being a woman impacted your experience working as a Human Resources Office Administrator?
HR is not a field I ever expected myself to be in, and it is very women driven. In comparison to men, women tend to be more empathetic and sensitive, and are able to handle tough conversations. That’s the implication at least — I don’t totally believe that.
What led me to do HR is that I have always been very focused on the guest experience and making sure ticket holders always have the best time. In HR, I pivoted that mindset to my staff. There is a little bit of a motherly feeling that I need to make sure all of these people are taken care of emotionally and physically, whether that be workplace disputes or workman’s comp.
The venue welcomes many different guests, including those who are not white, straight, or gender conforming. I have the power to make sure our staff is as diverse as the guests who come into our building, ensuring the venue is an accepting environment. Being a woman, I also want to make sure we have equal opportunities for our employees to succeed in the workplace and grow. We have a lot of people who aspire to work in the industry, and I take it upon myself to make sure I can foster those hopes and dreams. Brooklyn Bowl has a reputation for being a welcoming place that helps foster creativity, entrepreneurship, and drive young people to join the industry. Because of this, it has ended up being the perfect place for me for the things that I value as a woman.
Q: What advice would you offer to upcoming graduates on the best way to pitch themselves so they can get a foot into the music industry?
Don’t be afraid to try new things or something you would never have thought you would try. That’s how I ended up in HR. I have worked in many different settings: at labels, magazines, venues, officebased promoters outside of a venue, and now I’m back at a venue in a capacity I never thought I would be in. Always being open to new opportunities and not being afraid to try something is a big advantage. Also, a lot of our industry is who you know, so lean on your connections and those who are supportive of you. We have a strong network coming out of school with people who are in similar situations as us — looking for jobs and eager to try new things in an industry they want to work in for life. It’s essential to have the understanding that the music industry is not just about being involved at a venue or label — there are so many other facets that you can be involved in.
Q: Do you believe we are on a positive trajectory concerning gender representation and how it’s handled within the industry?
On a positive note, I can say yes. Brooklyn Bowl has a majority female executive team, and it’s the first place I have worked where that is the case. We have a female General Manager, Director of Operations, Operations Manager, Director of sales, and Security manager, which is about two-thirds of our management team. Live Nation also has a lot of diversity recruiting efforts. Brooklyn Bowl is currently hiring for our Production Coordinator, and we have been in touch with a diversity recruiter that has recommended great candidates for different jobs in the network. I think the fact that many facets and departments of the industry are making diversity and inclusion an initiative indicates there is a positive step being taken. I also think it will take a while for that to fully assimilate, but overall companies making initiatives and backing it up with recruiting efforts is a good sign.
Q: Can you talk about your journey from being a student at Drexel to your career in sync licensing?
I started at Drexel in the music industry program in 2003. I thought I wanted to be a singer songwriter, but as I went through the program I realized that where I found my joy was not necessarily in performing the music. It was helping bring the songs to people, and being a part of the creation of them, but not necessarily being the one to perform them. I started looking at other opportunities within the music business, and since Drexel had just launched Mad Dragon Records I started working at the label doing A&R. This artist at the time named Dan May submitted his album to the label, and although the label passed on it, I started selling merch at his shows and that organically turned into an artist management relationship. When I was getting ready to graduate, things were kind of picking up with him as he was touring all through the northeast and WXPN was playing him, and I was realizing that I was almost learning more through doing that than I was in the program itself. Drexel had just launched their law school a year before I graduated from the music industry program, so I applied to law school and got in and I kept managing Dan for the next 3 years.
When I graduated, I took a job at an agency out in LA but the offer was retracted as soon as I moved out there. I was unemployed in LA during the summer of 2010, which was a horrible job market, so I started applying to lots of jobs. I eventually got kind of desperate to get out of my apartment, and I started
Katie Jelen Class of 2007, Music Industry + Class of 2010, Law Founder, Honestly Good Music — Nashville, TN
Interview By Sophia Porras, Class of ‘24
Jenna Soliman, Class of ‘24 , Malvina Bhatia-Guerin, Class of ‘24 +
instead looking for internships and found a 2 year old listing for a company called Secret Road. At the time I had never heard of them, as they were a sync licensing company and I didn’t even know what sync licensing was. I sent an email to the owner who miraculously responded, and I interviewed, got the job, and interned for them unpaid for 2 or 3 months before becoming the office manager. I stayed at Secret for 7 years and I sort of did a little bit of everything. Then, they started sending me to Nashville to help set up writing camps and I helped Secret Road launch their publishing company. When they were looking for someone to move to Nashville full time I took the opportunity, and there I was signing and developing writers and artists specifically with sync in mind, giving them feedback on songs, setting up co-writes, and giving them briefs and direction, which I continued to do for about 3 years.
In 2017, Warner Music Group came knocking and they were looking to hire a full time person for the first time in Nashville, so I jumped over to Warner and was over there for 5 years growing out the publishing sync business in Nashville. After 5 years I was ready to get back to my indie roots, so I left and started my own sync company, Honestly Good Music.
Q: What inspired you to found Honestly Good Music? What has the transition been like moving from working at majors to owning your own company?
My parents were entrepreneurs. They were chefs. So I grew up in the restaurant world, and sort of had that entrepreneurial spirit in my bones. I also think the pandemic showed a lot of us what was really important, and where I really found my joy was in making a direct impact with the creatives, landing a spot for somebody and knowing that’s going help pay their rent or that’s going help them make their next album. I want to be excited about what I’m working on, and who I’m working for, and that was what pushed me. I wanted to strip it down to its essence, run an honest business, and eliminate as much bullshit as possible. I just want to work for good people, and I want to win for good people, and I want there to be mutual respect.
Q: How do you define success?
Success for me has changed a lot. When you start out, the industry can easily get really toxic. There’s all these lists, like Billboard and Forbes 40 Under 40, but once you start to look behind the curtain you realize that all of that stuff is pretty much politics and paid advertising and that all of the majors will get a slot on the list. I think when you’re starting out, those things seem like the right goals. However, as I go it’s more about living the life that I want to live and going to bed at night rather than staying up worrying about what I said or what I did. It’s about knowing that I went through my day, worked as hard as I could, and I did right by all the people that crossed my path that day. The most rewarding thing for me so far in starting my own business is when the creatives that have reached out have told me, “Oh, my gosh! We keep hearing your name, everyone says such great things about you!” or “People say how honest you are!” That, for me, is success.
Even my deals are lower than other places, so for me to make money I have to make more. I have to make a lot more to get my piece, because it’s a smaller piece. So I always tell people that it’s going to be a longer path, but it’s going to be a much more rewarding path. And for me, that’s what it’s all about.
Q: If you could go back and talk to yourself as a student, what is one piece of advice you would give yourself?
I’ve always just started doing the job even if it wasn’t my job, and that has always led me to the next thing. Pretty much, every job I’ve gotten I’ve created for myself in some way. A lot of times we feel limited by the things that are in front of us or the things that we think are available instead of carving out a space for ourselves. I tell people, especially when they’re looking for their first job, everyone goes after sexy jobs. Everyone’s going to go after the A&R job, or whatever the creative job is, so getting those jobs is really hard. I always tell people, “go for the less sexy job, go for the admin job or the office manager job.” Don’t get so caught up on what the role is, and instead figure out where you want to be and who you want to surround yourself with. Find the company that you want to work for or the sector of the industry that you want to work in and just get yourself in the door. Then, once you’re there, you can show people how great you are. Just create the thing that you want for yourself.
Interview By
Adanze Benjamin, Class of ‘24 + Leen Padia, Class of ‘25
Q: Do you feel like the rise in schools offering music industry programs has helped increase the number of women in the industry?
Definitely. I think having a more structured education available to everybody equally, definitely helped with the diversity of the talent that is now entering into the music industry. I do think, however, there is a difference between the business side and the creative side, when it comes down to representation. I believe there’s a little bit more
Q: What advice would you give current Drexel students who are studying to pursue careers in the music industry?
I’d say the big piece of advice would be to apply what you’ve learned in a critical thinking space for all your upcoming opportunities. As you go into your interviews, as you go into postgraduate adulthood, understand that you know more about the music industry than most. So leverage that to the best of your ability, in every opportunity that you get
Lindsay Barto Class of 2014, Music Industry Manager, Contact Administration, The Bowery Presents — Philadelphia, PA
Brian Quirple, Class of ‘24 + Yolanda Yu, Class of ‘24
Q: How was your Drexel experience? Specifically, how do you think of the curriculum, networking, and coop opportunities impacting your choice of career?
Drexel was great! I learned a lot about many different areas of the music industry in my classes and got experience in the live industry through my co-ops, both confirming my decision to pursue a career in live music.
Q: Can you briefly explain what you do? What’s a day in your position at Bowery Presents look like?
I review, redline, and negotiate artist, venue, vendor, and co-promoter agreements for our venues in Philly & Boston as well as Forest Hills Stadium and our open-room shows in NYC. I’m also responsible for training and overseeing all contract admins for The Bowery Presents. A typical day for me involves confirming deal points with talent buyers, issuing contracts to agencies, sending deposit requests to our accounting team, negotiating legalese/ redlines with vendors and agencies, and answering questions from my direct reports.
Q: What do you find most challenging in doing your job?
The sheer volume of work is probably the most difficult part due to the amount of shows we’re booking. Though, it’s hard to complain about having too many shows to work on when you think about where we were three years ago [with the COVID lockdown].
Q: What do you find most fun about your job?
The free shows are definitely the best part! I’m a huge pop-head and in one month I’m seeing Caroline Polachek, Sabrina Carpenter, and Taylor Swift. On a more daily basis though I love chatting with my coworkers or going to happy hour together at Bok Bar in our office building.
Q: What is some advice you would like to give Drexel students who want to work in the music industry?
Focus on figuring out your strengths and look for careers that center on those strengths. I didn’t even realize contracts departments existed until 5 years into my career and now I’d never look for work outside of contracts.
Tyler-Kassandra Odenat
Class of 2015, Music Industry Business Affairs Manager, VP Records — NYC
Interview By
Olivia Alvarez, Class of ‘24 + Joshua Bhujbal, Class of ‘24
Q: How have your past internships and music industry education helped you further your professional development and given you insight on how to find jobs and make connections?
We had co-op for the summer. We didn’t really have the most opportunities compared to other majors that have a system you can look on for co-ops — it was pretty much independent. The place that I work now —and have worked at for what is now six and a half years — I did my first my first co-op there. And that was from self-search. The second co-op I got from a friend who got it first, and then she got something else. So she thought I would be a good match.
But as far as the classes go, the content of the classes was helpful. We were able to start taking major-specific classes from freshman year, which is helpful to start learning the history and the ins and outs of the music industry. I think it was a big help for me to know that first, and then really learning the actual stuff and being able to recognize certain things when I started interning.
Q: What challenges have you encountered while working in your current role, especially since it is primarily male-dominated?
I am not saying that there are not issues that exist, but in terms of my specific personal experience while working here, I’m not sure that I’ve experienced a whole bunch of problems with that where I work. The independent record label I work at is called VP and it was co-founded by a woman. Her and her husband (who has long since passed) founded it. She’s been at the head of that, so that’s part of it even now when the label is largely run by her sons. There are plenty of women at various levels in the company.
Q: Would you consider more diversity in your position just as important as representation in the creative space? And how do you think that would affect the music business as a result?
Absolutely. I think it’s also not just diversity in gender, race, and ethnicity, but also diversity of thought, which can come from those things. It will affect the type of projects taken on and what they look like. So, absolutely, yes.
Q: What advice can you give to other women hoping to work as a business affairs manager?
The advice that I would say is just know exactly what you’re capable of, know that you were there for a reason, and you have knowledge. Just be confident in that and speak up when you need to speak up. Know that there’s value to what you have to say.
Q: What can the music industry improve upon to empower women just getting into the music industry?
Allowing women and non-men to be decisionmakers. It’s still helpful for them to be positioned at different levels, but if there’s someone above you that has the greenlight over something and they do not see it the way that you see it, then progress is not necessarily going to go very far. Also, making space for different needs, which will make it more helpful for more people to be able to work and work well comfortably. That is also something that can come from having gender diversity and diverse decisionmakers.
Q: How did the business classes at Drexel apply to the work you do in the music industry?
I minored in business administration as part of the Music Industry Program, and I think the classes that came with that were really helpful. I still think about them a lot — not just in the music business, but with the economy and my personal finances. I honestly think that part of the Music Industry Program prepared me for the world, which is great.
Someone said recently about where we work — it’s the exact center of creative and business and trying to balance the two. Creative people don’t always like the boundaries of business and rules and law, and business people don’t always like when the creatives want to go willy nilly, so we’re always trying to mesh the two and make them work together seamlessly. That’s exactly what the Drexel program is about, and I really do feel like I use that mindset everyday — that mindset of “this is a business and this is an art form.” That mindset was drilled into me, and it has helped me understand our clients and artists better, as well as my other coworkers in the finance department and in the legal department.
Nicole Weinstein Class of 2020, Music Industry Digital Marketing Coordinator, Republic Records — NYC
Interview By
Ally O’Sullivan, Class of ‘23 + Hayley Stead, Class of ‘23
Q: Is there any software that you use day-to-day in the music industry that would you recommend learning before joining the workforce?
It changes a lot because technology changes so much; for example, I use CapCut a ton now when it comes to short form video content, which is some much of what we do. I’m telling all of our artists short form video should be their top priority. As the label, we’re trying to help with that. We’re trying to supplement all the TikToks and reels and shorts that are artists are posting, so a big part of my job is taking footage and making it look nice for TikTok and CapCut has been absolutely the best video editing tool I found. I definitely use that more than iMovie or Premiere or anything, and I obviously didn’t know about it in school because I don’t really think it existed yet.
I use Photoshop all the time. We learned it at Drexel, but it didn’t really stick in my brain after I took the class, so feel like I’m relearning it. It’s so important, I use it all the time. Other than that, just the basic things like docs, spreadsheets, Outlook — stuff like that. Going in, I kind of knew that would be the case, and those would be the things that I would have to learn and be an expert at.
Also, getting familiar with other social media sites that I wasn’t familiar with. The best example is Discord; I never used Discord before I started, and now we’re constantly talking about Discord and I’m moderating for artists and it’s second nature to me. I can’t believe that because I had no idea how it worked before, but if you hunker down and really learn the stuff it’s not that hard.
Q: When you look back at your path in the music industry, is there anything you would go back and change?
I think there are certain parts of working at a label that I thought I understood before I started, but I really didn’t, and it would’ve saved me a lot of time in my search and in my research. For example, I always heard people say that they were the ‘project manager’ and I didn’t know what department that fell under. It sounded like something I might want to do, but I didn’t know if that was A&R, marketing — I didn’t really know. Now I completely understand it’s the marketing department.
There are little things like that that I kind of wish I knew going into it, but I don’t think I could have changed that or done anything different. I started at a label at 23 — it’s not much sooner that I could have jumped into the lingo and verbiage. I remember feeling very on the outside looking in like, “what is all this stuff,” and now I feel like I do know.
Q: How do you feel about the current standing of women in the music industry? Do you feel fairly represented?
I think it’s going the right direction but there’s so much further we have to go still. Numbers wise, I work with so many women. There are times when I’m in a meeting and it’s all women and only one man or something, and that feels really great — it feels safe, I feel more understood. But for the most part, it’s a lot of the assistants and the coordinators and the lower-level people [who are women]; and then when you start to look up at the department heads, it’s still so many men and it’s obvious that efforts towards diversity are just starting.
So some days I’m like, “this is great,” other days I’m like, “there’s definitely something still wrong here.” It’s more than a representation — it’s how we’re treated. There are still a lot of men that interrupt women when they’re talking and that is so frustrating. Sometimes I think people feel like they’ve done their part because there are women in the room, but in reality it’s not just including [women] — it’s also treating them with respect.
Don’t get me wrong, for the most part there’s respect and so much love. I really do love the place, but it’s not perfect. I don’t really think any company or industry is perfect in that way. There is still so much more to go, but I do think it’s going in the right direction because, like I said, we may be assistants and coordinators now but in 10 years we are going to be the department heads.
Q: Can you give us a day-to-day of your position at Interscope?
Every day is crazy and different. I’m on the brand partnership team and essentially we deal with anything that the artist does in regards to brands. So whether it’s the big endorsement deals or sponsorships for events or sync licensing for ads, we kind of handle all of it. A lot of what I’m doing right now is building relationships with clients and brands in New York. There are obviously the big agencies or the big brands my bosses have always talked to, but then there are so many of these fashion brands that show at Fashion Week and agencies here that have popped up and music supervisors that have popped up. So a lot of what l’m doing is growing our client base in New York so that we can get new offers and deals for artists. And then I’m pitching to them — ideas about what we have going on with our artists, what could make sense to have a brand sponsor come on for. We also get to ideate and pitch ideas to brands for what would make sense for our artists and help them hit their KPIs.
There’s also a lot of following up with our partners and keeping them up to date with what’s happening with all our artists. So sending press clippings, social updates, upcoming releases, etc. Part of it is being reactive; brands will send me stuff like, “we have this opportunity, do you have an artist that makes sense?” or agencies will have stuff or the music supervisors will be like, “we have this TV spot we need music for. Can you send us a list of tracks
Paulina Freed Class of 2019, Entertainment & Arts Management Manager, Brand Partnerships, Interscope Records — NYC
Interview By
Andre Pak, Class of ‘23 + Mina Johnson, Class of ‘23
that makes sense?” That’s kind of the easier part, when people are coming to you with the ideas or they have things you’re just plugging artists into.
On the other side, you really have to be proactively pitching campaign ideas to your clients that would make sense for the brand, what artists make sense for those ideas, framing it to them like here’s how we think is beneficial for you to use our artists. We want to be mutually beneficial for the brand and the artist so we have to work with brands and agencies to come up with campaigns that will do that.
Q: How did your Drexel co-op experience impact your music industry journey?
Because I was a transfer student, I did one coop between junior and senior year and then my final co-op was after senior year (after I walked at graduation), which was pretty cool because it turned into a job.
For my first co-op, I went to New York. I really thought artist management was my path, so I interned at a management company. I did two internships that summer because I was like, “I’m going to be in NYC, so I might as well do something five days a week and make the most out of it.” So I also interned at a music PR firm, Big Picture Media. For the management internship I was helping the artist managers with everything under the sun because it was such a small company, and I really got to see firsthand what managing artists like X Ambassadors, and Jukebox The Ghost was like.
And then for LA, I went out and did the same thing. I still thought management was going to be my path, so I reached out to another management company to co-op with. I did a second internship too, this time at a label. But the funny thing is, three weeks into the internship, the management company offered me a job as a day-to-day because they had an opening. Of course I took the job and ended up moving to LA. A part of me was sad to have to leave the other internship because I was excited to be learning about the label side of things, but that job was an amazing experience and I learned so much. It was like being thrown into the fire, but it was great. I stayed there for a little over two years.
The management company had started to build out an in-house label that I ended up being really involved in, and I think my thoughts about wanting to go to the label side kind of became clear to me — especially doing all the digital marketing and getting to do some brand partnerships for artists. I wanted to be back on the East Coast so I started looking for label jobs in New York. There was a job at Sony Music and that’s where I went for a year, and then a job opened up at Interscope that was kind of the next step and higher level. I didn’t feel like I was necessarily getting the encouragement to grow at Sony as much as I would have liked to, and I had this opening and I went for it. I will say, being a woman, I felt like there was a lot of, “oh wow, you’re leaving this company so fast, you’re being kind of bullish,” but I think if a man had done it, it wouldn’t have been the same thing.
Q: Do you have any advice for aspiring music industry professionals?
Leave your ego at the door, which is something that I think everyone struggles with every day. Especially when you’re coming up in the industry, sometimes the level which you’re doing work or the job you’re starting at is not the most glamorous, and you can feel like you’re replaceable or you’re just the paper pusher — but it is so important. Now I know that having been doing this for a while, I can see everything I did in my early years was leading to where I am now. It’s important to keep things moving and it might seem like what you’re doing doesn’t matter, but it really does. No one is going to hire someone just to do nothing.
Also, trusting your gut and making sure you’re not being taken advantage of. I think you can tell when you’re in a good environment and when you’re not, and when the people that you’re around are looking out for you, and your higher ups are really wanting to see you grow and having those conversations with you about your future, what else you want to learn, and what they can help you with. Those things are so important. So I think that’s kind of the balance — you’re going to have to start somewhere and it might be hard and it might be tiring, long hours and stuff for a bit. But, as long as you’re getting the support and the encouragement it’s a good balance. Also, be driven as hell. No one’s going to hand anything to you.
Q: What have been some challenges you have faced as you have grown your career? Did any of these challenges materialize because you are a woman?
Being female in such a male dominated industry is quite a feat. I have always been known throughout my entire life to be a squeaky wheel. So when I am uncomfortable with a situation, I’m very vocal about it, for better or worse. I really encourage full transparency and speaking your mind because it will get you places.
I would say that I have faced a lot of misogyny. Despite my background and my experiences and being put in situations where I’m the only young female in rooms full of very powerful men. My ideas wind up being the winning ideas for projects, but I get no credit for it, even though there are paper trails. There are a lot of things like that in an office environment.
I’ve also had different sorts of experiences on the road. In that sort of scenario you tend to have to prove yourself in a very physical way. “I can carry these boxes. I can move these road cases. It’s fine. It’s fine.” And that just kind of is what it is.
When I interviewed with Red Bull right out of the gate I was like, “look guys, I’m tired of misogyny. I have been a part of the boys’ club for 15 years now. I can play, but I want the respect that I deserve. If this is too abrasive for you, then I’m not sure it’s going to be a good match.” I said that to every male that
Teri McMahon Class of 2013, Music Industry Event & Festival Manager-Northwest, Red Bull — San Francisco, CA
Interview By
Ash Dacanay, Class of ‘23 + Grace Allen, Class of ‘23
I was interviewing with, and everyone was like, “all right, point taken.” I got that vocal because I was that exhausted by it, and it did not make any of them flinch. Everybody was very receptive to it.
I got the job at Red Bull and it’s been a lovely experience. I was the first female to join this team of event managers across the country. Since then, we’ve hired more, and I’m using my position to really shift the paradigm and hire a lot of women and female-identifying people, people within LGBTQ communities, and other marginalized communities. I’m trying to break things up a little bit.
Q: Have any of your experiences as a woman given you unique insights that then you can apply in the professional setting?
I think because I’m a very sensitive person, I’m very aware. I think being a woman, we all innately are a little more tuned in with ourselves and the needs of others around us — when you’re working so intimately with musicians who rely almost entirely on their production teams around them to make them feel comfortable and at home, making sure that the show is going to be a success, making sure they stay healthy, and all those things. Getting two steps ahead of things and being aware of peoples’ needs makes everyone’s life a lot easier and I feel like that always has been one of my strong suits especially when working directly with artists.
Q: What drew you to festival work as opposed to other job positions in the live music industry?
I hate being at a desk—so much. I learned a lot through my experience at Drexel. I was like “wow, there are so many avenues we can go within this field.” One of the professors told us in one of our classes that in the industry everybody takes a different path but we all make the same stops along the way. And for some reason that really resonated with me.
I was always like— I don’t have to be stuck in this one role, my skills are transferable. Even if I didn’t like being a box office manager at a venue, that job gave me the knowledge and the insight into parts of the industry to then allow me to move into booking. I went right into booking for Live Nation because I was able to do that math and understand how tickets are sold and all these things. And then from there I just kind of kept taking my knowledge and snowballing it.
When I was working at Live Nation in the booking department, I got really hungry. I was in the office all day doing all this work, but I want to see my work come to fruition so I started forcing myself to all these shows all the time. I went from working at clubs and theater shows, and then I started working on bigger shows in stadiums, arenas, and I was like “woah this is electric!” It was so much fun, I would so much rather be out here than sitting behind a desk pulling the strings.
Q: Is there anything that you would want to tell your younger self as you were just entering the music industry?
I was really gung-ho right out of the gate. I was lucky to have known a lot of musicians and I thought I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I really thought I wanted to be very involved with musicians directly and I fought long and hard to get there even though I had personal relationships that I had to work a little bit harder to prove myself as a hard worker. Honestly, I don’t regret a damn thing. I look back and like, yeah it’s been a wild ride. We’ve all had ups and downs but I’m very proud and I would probably just tell myself to keep trucking because you will land where you need to go. It will take a minute but you’ll get there and it will feel really good.
Q: What did the end of your senior year look like for you, and how were you able to get involved in live music so quickly after graduating?
I finished Drexel a little early, I think a whole term early, because when it got down to my senior year I only had a few electives that I had to take to finish all my credits and that was it. When my senior year started I already had some friends who hit me up and asked if I wanted to go on tour with them in March of 2019 and March was the last two weeks of my term. When the term started I went up to my professors in the first week and said “hey this is my last term here, I have a job lined up already.” All of them let me miss the final because I worked really hard to make sure I was getting good grades in these classes. I did that one tour and the momentum just kind of kept going — I was doing tour after
Michelle Baumval Class of
2019, Music Industry
Touring Merchandise Manager (Freelance) — NYC Interview By Nikita Batra, Class of ‘24 + Alana Lai, Class of ‘23Q: Since you graduated in 2019 and went straight into touring, how did you navigate through COVID with the live industry being shut down? What did you do during that time to make sure you kept those connections going?
In March of 2020, I was out on tour with a Philadelphia band called The Wonder Years. We were in the middle of a tour when lockdown happened, so we all kind of went home and we didn’t know when we would come back. But we all had a group text. We were texting each other every day because we were all in this together. We were all on tour and then suddenly we weren’t. We were all friends, it wasn’t weird or maintaining connections, it was all actual interpersonal relationships. Throughout the whole pandemic, I would just catch up with friends, text people who were in bands. It was genuine connection, not following up on emails. It felt like everybody was in it together, nobody knew when live music would come back. I felt like maybe live music would never come back, and I got a part-time job at a Whole Foods while I was home for a few months. I just didn’t know what would happen, but
Q: Have you ever felt unsafe on a tour as a woman or in general, and how did you navigate it?
I kind of had two tours in a row in 2019 when I finished school that were really, really bad. I wanted to leave both of them, but the reason I didn’t was because I was still so new to touring and I thought that because I’m a young woman if I left I wouldn’t be given more opportunities — I felt like even though people were making me feel uncomfortable and making me feel unsafe I would still somehow get all the repercussions from that if I left. So, I did nothing. I stuck around. Then, I never talked to them again.
When another member of the crew was treating me really poorly, nobody was sending him home, nobody was firing him, so I felt like I was alone and I just had to deal with that. It was either go home and I lose out on this money and I don’t know if I’m going to get a gig again. I wasn’t in this position back then — I was still really new to it back then. It was either I suck it up or take the risk. I was like whatever, I guess I’ll suck it up.
Q: How do you feel about taking space and being heard? And what has helped you integrate well with the rest of the tour and be that ‘good hang’ people always talk about?
I’m a lot more comfortable with myself and recognize how good I am at my job now. I’m way more confident. I know my worth now and I know that I am just as valuable to a crew as anybody else, so more and more now I’m learning that it’s okay for me to ask for help or an extra hand to lift some heavy things. It won’t make me any less good at my job. Everybody needs help every once in a while. Also, I’m just comfortable with myself, I’m happy with who I am. I don’t mind going onto a bus full of people that like we’re all slowly getting to know each other and just being myself and just hoping my personality meshes well with everybody else. You just have to be your fullest version of yourself and it’s usually fine and everybody is just as crazy as you are because we wouldn’t all be here, traveling together on tour if we weren’t all like crazy in some way.
Q: What advice would you give to graduating students who want to enter the music industry and people very early in their careers that are looking to work this first tour and get experience on the road?
It’s just important to talk to as many people as you can. Get to know people, make friends, and let those people know what you’re interested in. Like tell them your experience and how you’re looking to start tour managing, merch managing, whatever it may be. Like even the local gigs that you work, make it known that you are very passionate about it because like these people will remember that, and if they hear in passing that like “Oh so-andso is looking for an entry level tour manager or an entry level merch manager” they’ll be like “Oh, I just met this person. They were so cool. Let me send this their way.” Because you just need to make connections and keep connections in order to get gigs. Most jobs in touring come from who you know.
Q: What project are you most proud of so far in your music industry career?
One of the projects that has been the most fun to work with right now has been one of our Record Store Day exclusives for this compilation called Nuggets. It’s put together by Lenny Kaye, who was a part of the Patty Smith Group for a long time. He basically started doing compilations of the rock and psychedelic songs that he felt fell through the cracks of that time. So this project was really cool to work on with him because he was very involved with it, and we did events for it. So that was great to help put those on, do a bunch of interviews for it, and sit with Lenny and talk to him. This was a really big campaign for me to be leading, especially in my short time here at Rhino and Warner. So, yeah, it’s probably one that I’m the most proud of.
Miranda Alston
Class of 2021, Music Industry Media Relations Coordinator, Rhino Entertainment — Los Angeles, CA
Interview By
Alex Heath, Class of ‘24 + Max Farrell, Class of ‘25
Q: Do you believe the industry is making notable progress with women’s representation and equity?
I think personally, from my experience, I am seeing a lot of movement for women in this industry, at least for my company. We do have a lot of women that hold executive and corporate positions here, which is really great to see, and they all have a voice here and get to see their projects and campaigns come to fruition. They’re also great mentors here. So I think that there is a big shift happening with how women are respected in this industry and having their voices heard overall. I’ve also been seeing a lot of people coming in entry-level positions that are women and a lot of our interns as well. So I’m seeing a lot of equalization across the board in that way.
Q: What initiatives in the music industry do you think are doing good work around supporting gender representation?
I think there are a lot of internal coalitions that are happening at many major music groups that are making sure that diversity, equity, and inclusion is being recognized across the board. But outside of the record labels and stuff, I think there is a lot happening with music communities in general. You have organizations like Girls Behind The Rock Show which gets women-presenting people together and collaborating and getting to know each other. I think that those sorts of things are making a big impact and are breaking down gatekeeping that’s been happening for decades. It’s making the music industry more open and a much more comfortable space for women to come into as well.
Q: Do you have any advice for Drexel graduates going into the music industry?
My one piece of advice would be to keep leading with your passion for music. I think sometimes people enter this space thinking that not having a love for music will still get you far. It can get you to a certain point, but overall, people notice your passion and your knowledge for music, and it really does get you further because you can hold yourself up in conversations with people. It also helps with making friends with a similar nerdy understanding of a band or if you’re really into the technical side of music — finding those people that really match with you. That gets you a lot further than just stepping into this space with an attitude like, “yeah, I want to be here and I do like music a bit, but I really just want to be in this industry and be a part of something huge.” It is a much smaller world once you enter it, and it’s not as big and expansive as it seems from the outside.
